Inspired by the LGG Study, The Fruit of the Spirit / week1, day1
The Road Map for today’s Journey: John 12:1-8 / SOAP: John 12:3
Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. ~ John 12:3
“The fruit of the Spirit is love…” This doesn’t surprise me, since the Spirit is from God, and God Himself is love, and He loves like no other. After all, the Bible tells us that He loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die on a cross so that all who believe in Him might live and have everlasting life. ~ Now this is love!
9God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10This is real love — not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.11Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.13And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. ~ 1 John 4:9-13 NLT
God also gives His Spirit to everyone who comes to Him by faith in Jesus Christ, and as we will learn on this journey, Paul wrote to the believers at Ephesus that His Spirit in us produces fruit. The fruit Paul refers to isn’t tangible, edible fruit ~ instead, it is the evidence of Christ living in us through His Spirit. There is no greater evidence of Christ in us aside from His love – for, as Paul wrote, anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Love is essential to Christian living because it is an essential part of God’s identity.1
Today’s journey reveals a beautiful illustration of love in Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, and a friend and follower of Jesus. John describes the scene in detail when he writes of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and of the celebration that followed. Lazarus and his sisters were among the guests. John writes that Martha was serving, and Lazarus was among those present at the table. Mary, however, is once again at the feet of Jesus. Unlike the account of (Luke 10:38-42), where she sat listening to Him teach while Mary served, here she is found worshiping Him ~ literally at the feet of Jesus. She is pouring herself (emotionally and physically) out on her Lord ~ in true sacrifice and worship. Undoubtedly she worshiped Him for raising her brother from the dead, but it was more than that; her worship poured forth from her heart for who He was. This is made clear by the outward act and expense of the act, not just monetarily but emotionally, and as Bibleref.com explains, it was a self-exposing act, putting her in a position of lowliness…” as she wiped his feet with her hair. The commentary goes on to say, “Mary’s behavior was uninhibited worship and submission to Christ.” Some commentators suggest that it was more than her gratefulness for the resurrection of Lazarus, but John writes that Jesus defended her actions (which were harshly judged), saying: ‘Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.’ (John 12:7-8)
If you’re wondering why Mary’s worship of our Savior was so extravagant, consider this truth pointed out in the LGG study journal: “Mary’s love for Jesus flowed from a heart that had been sitting at His feet. She knew Him. She had learned from Him. And she had spent time with Him. It was out of that closeness that her love overflowed into one of the most beautiful acts of worship recorded in all of Scripture.”
Friends, as the journal goes on to point out, the love Mary displayed in this passionate act of worship “is the same kind of love that the Holy Spirit produces in us.” That’s right, His presence in us ignites and grows a love that is neither “safe, calculated, or convenient” but it is a wholehearted and transforming love that moves us to live, give, and worship not because of who’s watching or what’s expected but because of who He is and what He’s done. In Mary’s experience, that surely included her brother being called out of the grave ~ in mine, it was being hit by a car as a 6-year-old child but living unscathed…it was seeing my baby’s crippled feet made straight and whole…and witnessing my 10-year-old daughter’s cancer being cured ~ through years of difficult days and trials, yes ~ but surrounded by and filled with His love and strength for each new day … and the list goes on. What has it been for you?
These experiences and the ongoing awareness of His presence in and around me have led me to stay at His feet and my heart and mind to yield in praise and worship to Him. Whether in church, the quiet of my room, driving in my car, or in conversation with family, friends, or even strangers, praise and worship flow in abandonment to Him. Whether expressed inwardly or with arms lifted high and my voice crying/singing out, praise and worship are no longer affected by worry or fear of the people around me. To borrow another line from the journal – “it is a wholehearted, I’m-all-in-until-the-end kind of love.”
As I was writing and the term abandoned worship flowed from my fingers to the keyboard, I stopped to see if there was a definition for what I was trying to convey. I looked up the phrase, and while I am not a fan of AI, this AI overview of the worship song, “Abandoned“, was spot on with what I was trying to say: “… complete, unreserved surrender to God in response to the profound sacrifice of Jesus Christ.” Oh friends, may this be the way we serve and worship and live out our life on earth, with the hope that others will see/hear Him in us.
Who Am I? By Casting Crowns also came to mind as I was typing out the blog … “Who Am I is one of the most powerful and enduring contemporary Christian worship anthems by the band Casting Crowns. The song captures the humbling contrast between human frailty and God’s infinite love and sovereignty. Inspired by Biblical truths from Psalm 8 and James 4, the lyrics remind believers that God’s care and grace are not earned by human merit, but given freely because of who He is.” Is there any better reason to love and worship Him than this?
Who Am I
Who Am I, That The Lord Of All The Earth
Would Care To Know My Name,
Would Care To Feel My Hurt?
Who Am I, That The Bright And Morning Star
Would Choose To Light The Way
For My Ever Wandering Heart?
Not Because Of Who I Am
But Because Of What You’ve Done.
Not Because Of What I’ve Done
But Because Of Who You Are.
I Am A Flower Quickly Fading,
Here Today And Gone Tomorrow.
A Wave Tossed In The Ocean.
A Vapour In The Wind.
Still You Hear Me When I’m Calling.
Lord, You Catch Me When I’m Falling.
And You’ve Told Me Who I Am.
I Am Yours, I Am Yours.
Who Am I, That The Eyes That See My Sin
Would Look On Me With Love And Watch Me Rise Again?
Who Am I, That The Voice That Calmed The Sea
Would Call Out Through The Rain
And Calm The Storm In Me?
Not Because Of Who I Am
But Because Of What You’ve Done.
Not Because Of What I’ve Done
But Because Of Who You Are.
I Am A Flower Quickly Fading,
Here Today And Gone Tomorrow.
A Wave Tossed In The Ocean.
A Vapour In The Wind.
Still You Hear Me When I’m Calling.
Lord, You Catch Me When I’m Falling.
And You’ve Told Me Who I Am.
I Am Yours.
Not Because Of Who I Am
But Because Of What You’ve Done.
Not Because Of What I’ve Done
But Because Of Who You Are.
I Am A Flower Quickly Fading,
Here Today And Gone Tomorrow.
A Wave Tossed In The Ocean.
A Vapour In The Wind.
Still You Hear Me When I’m Calling.
Lord, You Catch Me When I’m Falling.
And You’ve Told Me Who I Am.
I Am Yours, I Am Yours, I Am Yours.
Personal Reflection and Application
- Mary held nothing back when she expressed her love for Jesus. What is one area of your life where God is inviting you to love Him more extravagantly and hold nothing back?
Response of Prayer
Father, thank you for who You are and all that You have done. From creation to the giving of Your Son in human form, His death on the cross, His resurrection from the grave, His ascension into Heaven where He sits at Your right hand. Thank You for loving me and forgiving me. Thank You for giving me Your Spirit that I might love as You love and for all the ways that You have made a difference in my life. I am forever grateful and my heart is filled with love for You which I pray will forever overflow in word and deed from my life ~ for Your glory. Amen ~
The More We Know
2. (3) Mary anoints the feet of Jesus.2
Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
a. Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus: In the midst of the supper, Mary gave a remarkable gift to Jesus. It wasn’t unusual to wash the feet of a guest, but it was unusual to do it during the meal itself, to use very costly oil of spikenard to do it, and to wipe the feet with her hair, using the hair as a kind of towel.
· Mary’s gift was remarkably humble. When a guest entered the home, usually the guest’s feet were washed with water and the guest’s head was anointed with a dab of oil or perfume. Here, Mary used this precious ointment and anointed the feet of Jesus. She considered her precious ointment only good enough for His feet. “To attend to the feet was the task of the most lowly slave. Thus Mary’s action denoted great humility as well as great devotion.” (Morris)
· Mary’s gift was remarkably extreme. She used a lot (a pound) of a very costly oil of spikenard. Spices and ointments were often used as an investment because they were small, portable, and could be easily sold. Judas believed this oil was worth 300 denarii (John 12:5), which was worth a year’s wages for a workingman.
· Mary’s gift was remarkably unselfconscious. Not only did she give the gift of the expensive oil, she also wiped His feet with her hair. This means that she let down her hair in public, something a Jewish woman would rarely do.
i. Oil of spikenard: “Both John and Mark describe it by the adjective pistikos (Mark 14:3). Oddly enough, no one really knows what that word means. There are four possibilities. It may come from the adjective pistos which means faithful or reliable, and so may mean genuine. It may come from the verb pinein which means to drink, and so may mean liquid. It may be a kind of trade name, and may have to be translated simply pistic nard. It may come from a word meaning the pistachio nut, and be a special kind of essence extracted from it. In any event it was a specially valuable kind of perfume.” (Barclay)
ii. “It was very costly, but it had not cost a penny too much now that it could be used upon him. There was a pound of it, but there was none too much for him. It was very sweet, but none too sweet for him.” (Spurgeon)
iii. “The act is all the more striking in that a Jewish lady never unbound her hair in public. That apparently was a mark of loose morals. But Mary did not stop to calculate public reaction. Her heart went out to her Lord and she gave expression to something of her feelings in this beautiful and touching act.” (Morris)
iv. In all of this, Mary is a study of devotion to Jesus. “The life of Mary is painted for us, in three memorable pictures, in each of which she is at the feet of Jesus.” (Erdman)
· Luke 10:39: Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and learned.
· John 11:32: Mary fell at Jesus’ feet and surrendered.
· John 12:3: Mary anointed Jesus’ feet and honored Jesus.
v. “You must sit at his feet, or you will never anoint them; he must pour his divine teaching into you, or you will never pour out a precious ointment upon him.” (Spurgeon)
b. The house was filled with the fragrance of the oil: The sense of smell makes for long-lasting memories and John remembered how Mary’s essential oils made the whole house smell good.
